Chapter 1014: Dwarves
“Atrocious, what are you guys waiting for?!” Sandos seemed rather annoyed when he saw his army of Undead creatures being overwhelmed by the sharp counterattacks of the Tower of Dusk.
“Okay, okay, aren’t they just some bones? You can get as many of them as you want,” the blood elf said nonchalantly before chanting an incantation.
A huge Six-pointed Star Array emerged in the open s.p.a.ce in front of the blood elf, after which a demon engulfed in black gas and with two wings on its back crawled out of the Six-pointed Star Array.
“Destroy them. These are the souls that you want!” The blood elf tossed a bead that was filled with an unknown number of souls. He then pointed at the Tower of Dusk. However, when the Soul Bead that the demon wanted to devour rushed towards the Tower of Dusk, the Six-pointed Star Array on the ground did not disappear. Instead, another demon crawled out of it.
10 Legendary-level demons that were wielding pitch-black tridents were dashing towards the Tower of Dusk’s line of defense with heavy footsteps. The demons that had Legendary-level power were the Greater Demons that liked trading souls with humans the most. The blood elf summoned 10 of them at once, and he had probably used more than 10,000 souls.
After praying, the one-eyed dwarf raised the wheel axe in his hand, and a thunderbolt suddenly fell from the clear sky, striking the spike at the top of the axe. However, the one-eyed dwarf did not get scorched by it, and instead his body seemed to expand as if it had been filled with gas. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a three-meter-tall giant.
Legend had it that dwarves possessed the genes of the t.i.tans, but that seemed like a joke to most people. The Alpine Giants being the descendants of the t.i.tans seemed like a more reliable claim. However, there was indeed such a legend among the dwarves. It was said that as long as a dwarf could truly awaken his own bloodline, he could transform into a powerful t.i.tan.
It was said that the dwarves had a powerful team that could awaken their bloodlines among the rebellion forces that tried to overthrow the High Elves at the end of the Dark Age. The team, which had less than 100 people, was named after the sacred relic of the dwarves, the Thunder G.o.d’s Hammer. It also acted like a heavy hammer during the war of rebellion by resisting and thwarting the High Elves’ suppression several times. Saladin, the first king of the Dwarf Kingdom, who was also the most famous hero among the dwarves, was the one who had led the team.
According to history, when using the power awakened by his bloodline, the Dwarf King Saladin could transform into a giant that was 10 meters in height, and had the power to rip dragons apart with his bare hands. In the war with the High Elves, the Dwarf King Saladin had fought with the strongest powerhouses of the High Elves several times, and his hammer was stained with the blood of numerous High Elves.
Of course, the one-eyed dwarf’s power after the awakening was still incomparable to that of the Dwarf King Saladin. However, even in the form of a three-meter-tall man, the power that he had was extremely shocking. The giant ax in the hand of the one-eyed dwarf initially looked extremely out of place due to the juxtaposition to his figure. However, after his body expanded vertically, the ax seemed much more suitable for him.
After awakening his bloodline, the one-eyed dwarf let out a roar from the sky, and the giant ax in his hand smashed into the ground with a loud boom, causing the ground to quake violently. At the same time, from the spot that the ax bombarded, a ma.s.sive rift that could swallow a person whole began expanding quickly towards the Tower of Dusk’s second line of defense, causing cracks to appear in the brick wall that was enhanced with magic.
However, the attack that the one-eyed dwarf launched to vent his anger did not only affect the Tower of Dusk. During the process of the crack spreading in the ground, it also devoured a large number of Undead creatures, and it was as if it had opened up a blank corridor among the tide of Undead creatures.
“d.a.m.n! One-eyed dwarf, whose side are you on!?” Necromancer Sandos did not find the loss of the Undead creatures a pity, but when he saw that the one-eyed dwarf’s attack had caused greater damage to him than to the Tower of Dusk, he immediately flew into rage.
“Haha, I’m really sorry for accidentally damaging your bones!” the one-eyed dwarf said while laughing loudly, and raising the giant ax in his hand again. Even the numerous rays of lighting could be seen flickering on the giant ax.
The one-eyed dwarf, who was no longer a dwarf, rushed into the army of Undead creatures and managed to cross the distance of several hundred meters in a few steps, knocking over and crushing many Undead creatures along the way. When he reached the second line of defense of the Tower of Dusk, he once again swung his ax, whose power had already acc.u.mulated. With a loud bang, the ground began quaking violently again.
“Blast him back!”
Gavin, who was acting as the commander of the Tower of Dusk’s team, immediately got a great shock when he saw the ferocious behavior of the one-eyed dwarf. He frantically ordered his subordinates to focus all their power and attention on launching a counterattack. Based on the power of the one-eyed dwarf’s attack and the vibration of the ground, Gavin could completely feel how tyrannical he was. He was even more overbearing than other weapons, and he might really cause their line of defense to be broken in just a few blows.
After receiving Gavin’s orders, four Magical Crystal Cannons turned their muzzles, and four solid mana cannon shots were immediately blasted at the one-eyed dwarf in front of the defense line. Even if the one-eyed dwarf had strength that was at the peak of the Legendary-level, he would be in a pickle after being blasted by four mana cannons.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the one-eyed dwarf did not dodge in the face of the mana cannons’ attack at all. In fact, he even had the time to grin widely. Immediately afterwards, the four mana cannon shots darted out in random order, instantly engulfing the three-meter-tall body of the dwarf.
Is that one-eyed dwarf a fool? He didn’t even flinch or dodge in the face of the mana cannons! Seeing this scene, the mages from the Tower of Dusk were a little stunned. Although they were glad to get rid of a powerful enemy with ease, they instinctively found the current situation a little strange.
“Well, Master Sandos, how did Master Dantin just…” Clearly, Canuman was not very familiar with Sandos and the others. Hence, he couldn’t help but be shocked when he saw that the one-eyed dwarf did not dodge the four mana cannons.
Only Legendary-mages could use defensive spells against the attacks of Magical Crystal Cannons. However, it would definitely not be easy. Even if the one-eyed dwarf evolved again, his magical defense abilities would never reach such a high level. Why did he try to resist it head-on like a fool!?
“Psht, how can dwarves create the Magical Crystal Cannons without leaving a way out for themselves?” the blood elf said sneeringly and dismissively.
Even if they had left a way out, they couldn’t have possibly tried to resist the attacks using their bodies! Canuman thought to himself. However, he did not get angered because of the att.i.tude of the blood elf, because he knew that there were many powerhouses hidden everywhere in unknown places of the continent, even though the peculiar ones they saw now did not seem too competent.
Canuman initially planned to use the few powerhouses as his weapons, but he never thought that they would turn against him, become the leaders, and then set him up. However, that was good since the three Arbitrators of the Supreme Council did not take him seriously anyway. Besides, these powerhouses were connected to figures who were rumored to be just as strong as the three Arbitrators.
However, at this moment, the light that engulfed the one-eyed dwarf had also dissipated, and Canuman knew what the blood elf was referring to when he said that he had left a backup solution for himself to deal with the Magical Crystal Cannons. To his astonishment, he discovered that the one-eyed dwarf’s body was not only not covered in any wounds after resisting the four mana cannons, but his muscles had also expanded. Clearly, he now had more explosive power.
He actually absorbed the power of the mana cannons! Canuman couldn’t help but be shocked. Although the mana cannons were condensed with pure mana at high intensity, no mage could retrieve a tinge of mana from within. However, dwarves could use their strong bodies to absorb the power and turn it into their own. That was truly unbelievable.
Fortunately, in the human kingdoms, Magical Crystal Cannons were powerful defensive weapons, but they did not truly replace other defensive equipment such as crossbows that protected the city. Otherwise, once the Dwarf Kingdom waged a war with the human kingdoms, the magical crystals at the top of the city walls would become energizers for dwarves!
Canuman also knew that even the dwarves could not make every single warrior of theirs possess the same power. The problem probably lay with the so-called bloodline awakening of the dwarves. However, after feeling shocked, he stopped dwelling on that matter. After all, no matter what the human kingdoms were like, it would have nothing to do with him, the President of a Guild of Magic.
At the same time, the people on the side of the Tower of Dusk were already gasping uncontrollably in astonishment. Even the wyrms that were famous for their defensive abilities started stumbling after being struck by the Magical Crystal Cannons. How could the dwarf have been perfectly fine as if nothing had happened? He took on the blow of the Magical Crystal Cannons with his body that was made of flesh, and yet he wasn’t injured at all. Instead, he seemed to have become even more menacing, as if he had taken some tonic. That was far beyond their knowledge.
“Continue to attack the enemies with the Magical Crystal Cannons. Mages, enter the Eternal Furnace and attack that dwarf with magic!” Gavin clenched his fists tightly while giving his subordinates orders composedly. Why isn’t the President here yet!?
Three years ago, Lin Li stepped into the Sanctuary-realm and the Tower of Dusk was in the limelight in the Breezy Plains, and possibly even the entire Felan Kingdom. The Tower of Dusk almost became the holy ground of magic of the Breezy Plains, and there would be mages coming from faraway places in hopes of joining the Tower of Dusk. Even if they were incompetent, they would still hope to register and become a member so that they could enter the Tower of Dusk’s public library to learn.
However, as Lin Li proceeded to the Sky Castle, time pa.s.sed, and rumors spread in the Breezy Plains that Lin Li had died in the Sky Castle. There was a sudden twist in the situation of the Tower of Dusk, and it changed for the worse. Gradually, some major forces began to lose faith in the Tower of Dusk, while some small and medium-sized forces also began to submit to other forces. The number of mages began to decrease continuously and rapidly as well.
Gavin had tried hard to change this situation before, but to ordinary people, three years was simply too long of a duration. In Anril, the majority of things were based on strength, and unlike those ancient powers with a rich heritage, the Tower of Dusk could be considered to be struggling after the departure of Lin Li, their Sanctuary powerhouse.
Fortunately, Lin Li had once revealed some ruthless means that served as a deterrence to many. Otherwise, the Tower of Dusk would have been doomed by now. After all, rumors were still just rumors, and there was no confirmed news of Lin Li’s death. Many were still worried that Lin Li, the young Sanctuary powerhouse, might return to settle scores with them.
However, even then, it would be impossible for the Tower of Dusk to maintain their original position as there were many who were plotting against them, both openly and in secret. Otherwise, Canuman and the others wouldn’t have managed to fight their way to Doland, as they would have been chased out of the Breezy Plains as soon as they entered.
In the current situation, the Tower of Dusk was relying on the tower and the Eternal Furnace to barely prevent annihilation. However, they had no time to care about the other businesses that they ran outside the tower. Actually, many members of the Tower of Dusk had the intentions to surrender and leave. Even if the enemies were only in the periphery, they would be trapped inside over time.
When Lin Li explored the Sky Castle, he brought away his Undead servants, the powerhouses under him, and many of the mages of the Tower of Dusk. As for the Tower of Dusk, they did not have a single experienced Legendary powerhouse at all. Instead, they still had to rely on the magic tides that suddenly appeared to allow a few Archmages to advance to the Legendary-realm. However, beginners of the Legendary-realm could not exert much of the power of the Legendary-realm. Although they could trump some of those who were below the Legendary-level, they were far from being competent enough to fight the current enemies.
In the face of the enemies’ frenzied attacks now, the Tower of Dusk might not have reached the point of being in critical danger yet, but there was almost no hope for anyone. Even if the enemies retreated, no one knew if it wouldn’t be for the sake of luring out the people inside. During this period of time, such matters had happened several times. In other words, regardless of whether the enemies retreated or not, the Tower of Dusk could only stay on the spot.
Under Gavin’s orders, a portion of mages, who were mostly level-19 Archmages, entered the Eternal Furnace from the top of the high tower. Meanwhile, the person in charge of the core of the Eternal Furnace was Gerian, who had abandoned his Guild of Magic and followed Lin Li to live a carefree life for several years.
Gerian was rather lucky. Initially, his limited talent in magic caused him to stagnate at level-19 regardless of how hard he worked. Besides, he was too lazy to put in effort as well.